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A review by mabusecast
Hard to Be a God by Boris Strugatsky, Arkady Strugatsky
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a very close second to my favorite book written by the Strugatsky brothers (roadside picnic)! Maybe its the year 2024 and the sense of impending doom talking to me but this is a book much like in the same way as when I read "roadside picnic" for the first time during the 2020 pandemic lockdown it just hit at the right time and hit hard!
I had seen the 2013 loose film adaptation of this book before reading it and even though that film is a remarkable bit of cinema, even though it is a rough and challenging watch, I think I like the book ever so slightly better!
This book is surprisingly funny at points given the subject matter of a group of future soviet cosmonauts trying to subtly nudge a planet out of its medieval dark ages and anti-intellectualism! Yet it also is a book that can be incredibly sad and tragic, and very on point about how societies change for
the better or for the worse!
One of my favorite new reads for this year so far! It is not without its flaws of course, it was a bit of task to keep all the names of characters in this straight in my head, the opening and closing chapters of the book nearly threw me for a loop at first, but this is still a remarkable work of eastern bloc science fiction!
I had seen the 2013 loose film adaptation of this book before reading it and even though that film is a remarkable bit of cinema, even though it is a rough and challenging watch, I think I like the book ever so slightly better!
This book is surprisingly funny at points given the subject matter of a group of future soviet cosmonauts trying to subtly nudge a planet out of its medieval dark ages and anti-intellectualism! Yet it also is a book that can be incredibly sad and tragic, and very on point about how societies change for
the better or for the worse!
One of my favorite new reads for this year so far! It is not without its flaws of course, it was a bit of task to keep all the names of characters in this straight in my head, the opening and closing chapters of the book nearly threw me for a loop at first, but this is still a remarkable work of eastern bloc science fiction!